Cathy C.

Statesboro, GA

Joined June 2018

GA

Cypress Lake Tranquility

We stayed on site 22 and loved it.  Beautiful and quiet with direct access to the lake.  A new bathhouse since we were there about 2 years ago. Very well maintained.  Grass was cut and the park was clean with the sites well maintained.  We had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed our site so much we stayed in the park instead of going antique shopping as we had planned.  This is what I expect when visiting a Georgia State Park.

Southern History

The park for camping is not well maintained.  We stayed on site 6 which is a new site, full hook up, nice marsh view. Grass was tall in many of the campsites and it was very buggy when we were there.  We did the tour of the fort and that was the highlight of our trip.  Highly recommend the tour. We also visited the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens and enjoyed that very much.  Love’s Seafood Restaurant for dinner is close by.

Lake Hartwell Retreat

This is a large campground.  It has multiple boat launches with easy access to Lake Hartwell.  Well maintained bath houses. Friendly staff and camp hosts.  We stayed in the first loop with sites 1-26.  It was a small campground within the larger campground and park. It was quiet and over half the sites have a view of the lake or are on the lake. We stayed on 26 and were very happy with our location.  The park has a beach with concession stand. We do not think we would have liked the larger side of the campground as sites were much closer together.  We travelled to Toccoa Falls, Tallulah Gorge, Lake Rabun, Helen, Anna Ruby Falls, Dahlonega and Hartwell.  We would love to go back and visit the towns of Lavonia, Cleveland and Clarksville, and go back to Southern Hart Brewery in Hartwell.

Lake Retreat

Most of the sites have water access. We stayed on 83 which was on a quiet cove. No view of the lake but easy canoe or kayak access. One bathhouse for our loop but never anyone in there and the campground was full. Our loop had larger sites than the main loop with the boat ramp. Most boats where docked right at the campsite. Very large park with many walking trails. Very nice camp hosts that maintained the sites very nicely. Take a walk to the walk in sites as you will see some beautiful views. I liked site 4 and then 2 of the walk ins. Both have a trail right to the beach. All walk in sites were nice. We took a drive to Thomson and did some antiquing in some quirky shops that were very friendly. We drove over to Winfield Campground which is a beautiful campground as well and is cheaper because it is an army corps of engineers campground. I would recommend either campground. The pictures are of our campsite (83) and then the ones we liked best. I have 73 as my #1 choice but we don’t have a motor boat (only canoe and kayak) and my husband thinks that site should go to someone with a motor boat. That leaves 82 as our first choice as we can still launch the canoe and kayak from that site. We have been told by everyone we have met for 3 years to go to Mistletoe and we were not disappointed.

Rolling Hills of History

Large, well maintained sites. We stayed on 17 and it was very private. We hiked from the campground to Lake Buncombe and also hiked from Sunset Drive trail to Lake Liberty and the office. Equestrian trails are closed to hiking during the weekend. Equestrian campground has a new stable and bathhouse and a campground that is under construction now. The old equestrian campground and stable are still there. The cabins on Federal Lake just reopened after getting new flooring. All of the rangers were friendly and helpful. We did the A. H. Stephens museum tour and that was very nicely done. We did a day trip to Greensboro and walked the shops and went to Oconee Brewery. Everyone was raving about Yesterday Cafe so on our next visit Lucy May have to stay back at the camper. We will definitely return in warmer weather for canoeing and a trip to Warrenton which is close by.

Canoeing Getaway

It is a very small campground. Narrow winding dirt road to small campsites. Bathhouse in the center. Check out the site pictures on their website, they are accurate. We only have a 17 foot camper and it still felt small. We stayed on site 16 which was nice and quiet. Site 18 would have been easier to back in to with the same amount of privacy. We got there early and were able to go right to our site. There were only 4 other campers there and the hosts. The bathhouse was older and could have been cleaner but it was okay. Most importantly it was warm. Our first night it got down to 27 and the water at the hose bib froze but once the sun came up it was fine. Less than 30 minutes to downtown Aiken. We loved the town and it was very pet friendly. Hopelands Gardens was beautiful, free and pet friendly. Had some good beer at Aiken Brewing Company and enjoyed all the shops downtown. We did go into Augusta and that was another 30 minutes from downtown Aiken. We will definitely go back in the warmer months to see some steeplechase horse racing and training, canoe and kayak the Edisto River and go hiking in Hitchcock Woods. There are quite a few museums we did not get to that would be nice to visit as well. I would definitely go back.

Wooded Serenity

Large well maintained campground. All sites are large, well maintained and site specific. Many have full hook ups. New family style bath house and an older bathhouse, both were very clean. Nice walking trails, plenty of playgrounds and very nice boat ramp and mini golf. We stayed on site 39 with a full hook up, small view to the river out back. Very private and large site with direct access to trail along the water. Site 11 has very nice water views but does not have a full hookup. Close to historic St. Marys and ferry to Cumberland Island and about a 45 minute drive to Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island for a nice day trip.

Butterfly Beach

Beautiful beach which you can bike from the north end to the south end at low tide. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip. The lighthouse is beautiful and the area very well maintained. Lots of trails for all levels. The campground is still recovering from Hurricane Mathew but well worth visiting. This place is wild with all the driftwood, palm trees and butterflies. The beach was never crowded and is very dog friendly. We were on site 130 which backed up to the main road in and out but was not a problem for us. We could see the ocean, feel the breeze and hear the waves. The bathhouse near our site could have been cleaner and is the reason I gave the campground a 4. I just hope Hurricane Florence stays away.

Historic

Quiet. Off the beaten path. Near Douglass, Ga. Abour 30 minutes to Broxton Rocks.

Fisherman's delight

Very large sites. Very quiet. All but 3 sites are on the lake. Sites 1and 2 are primitive - water, electric and no water view. Site 3 has a view of the water but no direct access for your kayak or canoe. Sites 4-19 have sunrise views. Site 20 sits on the point by itself but has no shade. We stayed in site 21 that was private, shaded and had great access to the water. Sites 21-30 have sunset views. Sites 4-30 have direct water access. They have several buddy sites and several pull throughs. There is one bath house which is older but relatively clean. I never saw anyone else in the bath house. It does have a family bath/shower room. There is a nice shaded playground with a horseshoe pit. Very little to no outside traffic. There is a museum and gristmill and nice park office. If you want a quiet stay to fish and relax this is a great park. They do have 3 trails but we enjoyed the relaxation so much we didn't do them. Maybe next time.

A little gem

Small campground with some campsites that are Lakeside. Brand new bathhouse. Very nice golf course, driving range and store. Brand new office and ranger station. A pretty little campground. They do have a splash pad, mini golf course, and playgrounds for kids. There is a short nature trail. We like to go here once or twice a year when we don't have a long weekend and just want to get away for a couple days.

Beautiful Lakeside camping. Sites are terraced, most have views of the lake

Beautiful and well maintained campground. Loved the canoeing and the hiking. Camped in February 2018 to go to a free concert in St. Mary's. We loved the campground so much we came back in March 2018 to go to Swamp Town Get Down in Waycross at the fairgrounds.

Historic, quiet and underutilized.

Plenty of trails with birdwatching and animal watching including alligators. There is a beautiful natural spring and the site has a museum. Campground has spacious sites. Bath house is well maintained. There are several playgrounds and a splash pad for the kids. We usually try to get here two to three times a year.